Valve-operating means for rotary engines.



No; 833.348. PATENTED OUT. 16, 1906. N. B. SMITH 6: P. A. TALBOT. VALVE OPERATING MEANS FOR ROTARY ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEG.4. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTORS Norman fESm/f/y WITNESSES THE NORRIs PETERS 611., WASHINGTON, n. c.

No. 833,548. PATENTED ooT. 16, 1906. N. R. SMITH & P. A. TALBOT.

VALVE OPERATING MEANS FOR ROTARY ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEOni. 1905.

2 BHBETSSHBBT 2.

vlllll T WITNESS INVENTORS mi/m L! z: ATTO THE. "any; PETERS vmsumnrau, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NORMAN R. SMITH AND PAUL A. TALBOT, OF SEATTLE, WASHTNGTON, ASSIGNORS TO SEATTLE ROTARY ENGINE COMPANY, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

VALVE-OPERATING MEANS FOR ROTARY ENGINES,

Specification of Letters Patent.

.P ented 9 t- .1 6., 9 5.-

Application filed'Decembar 4, 1905. Serial No. 290:8.

States, and residentsof the city of Seattle, in

the county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve-1O erating Means for Rotary Engines, of Whic the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in the valve and valve-operating means of the rotary engine shown in the patent issued to Norman R. Smith, October 24, 1905, No.

The object of our invention is to provide a positive and reliable means for shifting the valve to reverse the engine, such means tobe operative by hand through positive mechamsm.

Our object is, further, to simplify and improve such mechanisms.

Our invention comprises the novel parts and combinations of parts hereinafter particularly pointed out in the claims.

The drawings show our invention embodied in the form now preferred by us.

Figure 1 shows the rotary head, shaft, and valve-actuating mechanism, parts being in section. Fig. 2 is a section through the rotary head, taken in a plane at right angles to the shaft. Fig. 3 is a face view of the head, showing a valve-seat, that portion of the head covering the .valve being removed. Fig. 4 is a face view of one-half the valve.

Our invention is applied to a form of engine which, except in its valve and valve-operating mechanism, is the same as is shown in the patent issued'October24, 1905,to Norman R. Smith, No. 802,828. We have therefore not shown and will not describe the general features 01 construction and operation of the engine. We will only say that this engine has a circular cylinder or casing, a rotary head of an outline resembling an ellipse, and abutments which are segments of an annulus and are connected in pairs swinging on pivots placed outside the cylinder'and actuated by the non-circular outline of the rotary head.

'The steam is admitted through the rotary head from ports in the casing heads. Ports 1 1, which pass entirely through the rotary head, register with the ports in the casingthe valves.

head as the rotary head turns. The periodicity and duration of admission of steam is determined by the relative size and location of these ports.

The course of the steam after being vadmitted to the ports '1 is determined by the valves 4, two of which are shown, one for each lobe of the rotary head. These valves are seated in channels formed in the body of the head and lie in planes which are parallel with the shaft or axis of rotation. The

steam passages 1 communicate with the valve-seat by two sets of ports 10. The valves 4 have a single corresponding port 40, which in one position of the valves register with one of the ports 10 and in the other position of the valve register with the other port '10. In this manner the admission of steam to either one of the ultimate dischargeports 2 or 3 is controlled. In the position shown in Fig. 2 steam is being admitted through ports '3 and the othersimi'lar ports 2 are being used as exhaust-ports. Shifting the valve would reverse this condition. The exhaust from without the rotary head is through the ports 43 into'and through the interior chamber 44. Half of the ports 43 are closed in one position of the valves and the other half are closed in the other position of The ends of the valves are shaped to conform to the outline of the rotary head, so as to maintain a smooth and steam-tight surface for the abutments to contact with. These ports 2 or 3, as the case may be, which are not inuse for the ;admis sion of steam, are connected with the central exhaust-chamber 44 by ports 20 or 30 in the rotary head and ports 41 in the valve 4.

Each valve 4 has a recess '8 in one face, which is designed to receive a pin 60, carried by a crank-arm 6. A -rock-shaft 5 is journaled in the rotary head and extends between the two valves 4 4. At each end this carries a crank-arm 6, having a cranl -pin 60. The arms at opposite ends of the shaft-extend oppositely, so as to shift their respective valves oppositely. The rock-shaft has a central operating-arm ,7, which extends through a slot '14inthe shaft 1 1 andenters -a slot "70 in the valve-shifting shaft 7 1, which lies in ,a central bore in the shaft 11. This shaft 71 extends beyond the end of the-shaft 11 and is provided with means by which it may be engaged to reciprocate it. The means shown consist of a grooved hub or ring 12, keyed to the shaft, and a trunnion-ring l3 engaging therewith'and adapted to be connected with a lever.

The crank-pins 60 have their outer surfaces segments of a circle concentric with the rock-shaft, and the slots 8 have a portion of their slides segments of circles of the same radius and so disposed that. in the extreme positions of the valves they alternately come concentric with the rock-shaft. In these positions the outer surfaces 61 of. the crank-pins coincide in curvature and position with one or the other of the curved surfaces 80 of the slots 8 in the valve. The side surfaces of the pins 60 engage the straight parts of the slots 8 to throw the valve. At the time when the valve reaches its proper position the corner of the pin reaches the corner of the side surfaces of the slot 8 in the valve, and further movement of the crank-arm throws the pin past this corner, but without moving the valve, as the correspondingly-curved surfaces of the pin and slot simply slide upon each other, both being of the same curvature and concentric. This obviates the necessity for an exact travel of the crank-arms and also provides a positive lock to prevent the valve moving backward until the rock-shaft is turned. Strain exerted upon the exposed end of the valve by the working steam-pressure is resisted by the crank-pin without any tendency to turn the rock-shaft. The clutch device by which the valve-shifting shaft 7 is operated is therefore relieved of all strain except at the time of shifting the valve and will consequently wear very little.

By the above means we provide a positive hand-operated valve-shifting mechanism and can therefore be certain that the valve may be shifted whenever desired. There is therefore no more uncertainty about the operation of this valve-shifting mechanism than there is about that of any ordinary engine.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a rotary engine, in combination, a rotary head having supply and exhaust ports therein, a valve in said head located eccentric to its axis and controlling said ports, and positive means for shifting said valve from without the cylinder.

In a rotary engine, in combination, a rotary head having supply and exhaust ports therein, a valve in said head located eccentric to its axis and controlling said ports, a valve-shifting shaft at the axis of said rotary head and connections from said shaft to the valve to shift it.

3. In a rotary engine in combination, a rotary head having steam-ports therein, a

valve in said head controlling said ports, a

valve-shiftingshaft mounted to reciprocate in the axis of the rotary head, and a lever mounted in the rotary head and connecting the valve-shifting shaft and the valve.

4. In a rotary engine, in combination, a rotary head having steam-ports therein, a valve controlling said ports and mounted to reciprocate in a plane parallel with the axis of rotation, a rock-shaft journaled in said rotary head and having one arm engaging the valve and another arm extending to the center of the rotary head, and a valve-shifting shaft mounted to reciprocate in the axis of the rotary head and engaging the arm'of the rock-shaft.

5. In a rotary engine, in combination, a rotary head and its shaft, said head having steam-ports, a valve controlling said ports, a lever within said head engaging the valve and extending to the shaft center, said shaft having a slot to receive said lever and to permit its movement, a shifting-shaft mounted to be reciprocated in the axis of the shaft carrying the rotary head, and connnected withsaid lever, and a shifting member having rela tively rotative connection with the shiftingshaft outside the engine-cylinder.

6. In a rotary engine, in combination, a rotary head having supply and exhaust ports therein, and a valve in the head controlling 5 said ports, positive means for shifting said valve from without the engine-cylinder, and means for locking said valve in its normal positions.

7. In a rotary engine, in combination, a rotary head having supply and exhaust ports therein, a valve within said head controlling its ports, positive means for shifting said valve from without the engine-cylinder, and means comprising relatively non-rotative members for locking said valve in its normal positions.

8. In a rotary engine, in combination, a rotary head having supply and exhaust ports therein, a valve within said head controlling said ports, means for positively shifting said valve from without the engine-cylinder comprising therein a thrust-bearing, and means between said thrust-bearing and the valve for locking the valve in its normal positions.

9. In a rotary engine, in combination, a rotary head having steam-ports therein, a valve mounted in said rotary head and controlling the steam-ports, a lever pivoted in said rotary head and engaging the valve to shift it, said lever and valve having circular segmental surfaces which come into concentric engagement in the normal positions of the valve to lock it in place.

10. In a rotary engine, in combination, a valve and a lever engaging said valve to shift it, said lever and valve having circular segments which come into concentric engagement to lock the valve in its normal positions.

11. In a rotary engine, in combination, a rotary head, havingsteam-ports therein, a valve in said head controlling said ports, a lever in said head en aging the valve to shift it, said lever and va ve having circular segments Which come into concentric engagement to lock the valve in its normal positions, and means for operating said lever from Without the engine-cylinder.

12. In a rotary engine, in combination, a rotaryhead, having opposite lobes, a valve mounted to reciprocate in each lobe, a rockshaft j ournaled in the rotary head and having crank-arms engaging both valves, and an actuating-arm extending to the axis of the rotary head, and a valve-shifting shaft lying in the said axis and extending from said actuating-arm, to the outside.

13. In a rotary engine, in combination, a lobed rotary head having supply and exhaust ports adapted for reverse rotation, a valve controlling the ports for each lobe, a rock-shaft mounted Within the head and having arms engaging each its respective valve, and an actuating-arm extending to the axis of rotation, a valve-shifting shaft lying in said axis and thrust-bearing connection to reciprocate said shaft.

14. A lobed rotary" head for rotary engines, having a valve-seat extending transversely to each lobe and extending to the periphery at.

each side of the lobe, said openings being adapted to act as a port, and a valve mounted to reciprocate in said seat-opening and by its ends to close the same.

15. A rotary head for rotary engines, having lobes and a valve-seat extending transversely of each lobe and extending to the periphery at each side, said peripheral openings being adapted to act as exhaust-ports, a valve in each of said seats having ends adapted to close said peripheral openings and means for shifting said valves across the lobes.

16. A rotary head for rotary engine, having valve-seats extending across the same from one periphery to the other, a valve mounted in said seat and having ends adapted When shifted to its extreme throw to close said openings and having end surfaces which continue the curve of the rotary head across the said openings.

In testimony whereof We have hereunto aflixed our signatures, this 24th day of November, 1905, in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

NORMAN R. SMITH. PAUL A. TALBOT.

Witnesses:

GRosvENoR FoLsoM, C. H. HARDEY. 

